This winter season showed levels of athletic play that have been exceptional. We had four teams contending for tournament play and two teams who extended the season in an exciting and Bull-fashioned display of well-coached moves, athletic prowess, and grit. We salute all of our teams and take special pride in the postseason success of the boys varsity hockey team and the girls varsity basketball team. It has been a great winter to be a Bull.

February

Holderness will have two teams representing the school in the NEPSAC playoffs this week, the boys’ varsity hockey team and the girls’ varsity basketball team. The girls are the #2 seed in the Class D Bracket and the boys are the #7 seed in the Small School Bracket. With the playoffs beginning on Wednesday, both teams prepare to make a deep run and cap their respective seasons off with a championship.

Another Cheri Walsh Memorial Eastern Cup Race is in the books. Snow, mixed with rain, made selecting the right kick wax a challenge, and even on the downhills the going was slow. But that didn't dampen anyone's spirits. With help from DJ and Holderness Music Director Alec Sisco, racers, spectators and volunteers sang and danced their way through the day. This year's race course featured an epic jump shortly before the finish, and while racers could choose to ski around the jump, many chose the quicker method, sending it through the air. The Bill Koch race at the end of the day proved to be the highlight of the day; what could possibly be better than seeing the next generation of nordic racers discover their love and passion for the sport? Below is a highlight reel from the day.

The Bulls have had a successful winter season, and as teams prepare for their final few regular season games, attention has begun to shift towards the prospect of postseason play. Both the girls’ and boys’ varsity hockey and varsity basketball teams are in contention for NEPSAC playoff spots. It has been over a decade since Holderness last had four teams in the same season competing for New England championships.

The Holderness Girl's Nordic Team won the Sibley Award at the New Hampshire Coaches Series race last weekend. Over 40 teams from all over New Hampshire competed in two races and the Holderness Team took the overall.

In a field of almost 250 high school girls, they were anchored by top ten results from Amanda Vansant, Mae Whitcomb, and Olivia Lammivaara. Buzz Fisher and Gus Whitcomb also represented Holderness well with a 4th and 20th place respectively.

Holderness prides itself on safe risk-taking. The school works to create an environment where you can try something new, possibly fail, possibly succeed, and definitely learn. Holderness has teams and athletes who reach the highest levels of competition and we also have teams and students who are learning how to compete, even learning how to play a sport. Such is the case with Quang Minh Do '19. He didn't even know how to skate when he arrived on-campus two years ago. He started managing the boys JV hockey team but an opportunity presented itself and Quang rose to the challenge.

Nordic in New England. With icicles hanging from their noses and their eyelashes covered in frost, Nordic skiers are known for going out in any weather and relishing steep climbs and gnarly downhills. With Head Coach Pat Casey leading the way, the Holderness School Nordic skiers are no different; with their special blend of competitive drive and playful energy, they are at the core of the growing Nordic community in the Plymouth area.

Coach Alan Smarse has been on the slopes with Holderness students for over two decades. He has helped the Holderness Freeski and Snowboarding program evolve over the years with the coaching philosophy that our mission is to support our student-athletes to the highest level achievable, while setting them up to gain entry into the colleges of their choice. Simply stated, our coaching philosophy is to be better today then we were yesterday. Read on for some history and for the latest evolution.